Just Survive
by The-Fabulous-Person
Summary: One moment: one decision that changed the course of survival. Leaving the safety of a group for the ghost of his past. Columbus AU.
1. Stand off

**So I was re-watching Zombieland one night, and I got to thinking: what would have happened if Columbus had gotten out of the Hummer and taken the truck back to Ohio? So this is an AU about Columbus Ohio and my OC Beverly Hills. Yeah, I know. Real creative. Whatever. Please please please please please leave a review guys. I don't see much point in continuing this if I don't know if people like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Zombieland, or Columbus, or the other characters in the movie.**

**Rating: T, but it's subject to change.**

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><p>The fires still burned in some places. The city had been hit and hit hard when the infection spread. The haphazard militia that had formed after the first few attacks had gone wild and burned everything in sight in an attempt to kill the zombies. But that had done nothing but make the zombies even more dangerous. Now, while you were being eaten alive, you were also being cooked alive. Houses were reduced wooden skeletons, cars were stripped to their frames and trash littered the streets, fueling the flames and making the rat that skittered out of the sewers jump when the breeze caused the trash to shift and rustle against the concrete.<p>

The man standing on the edge of the highway, however, seemed unfazed by it. He stood between the broken, warped railing, staring down at the destruction. His shoulders were slumped and his greasy brown curls looked like they were standing on end, giving the viewer an idea that he ran his fingers through his hair on a regular basis. A double barrel hung limp in his right hand, but it still put me on edge as I stalked him.

He didn't hear her when I crept over the black top to sneak up behind him. He didn't hear the scrape of my boots against the road, or the slight clank of the 'armor' I had fashioned out of kitchen ware. And unless he was deaf, he didn't hear the sound of my own gun being cocked as I pressed the barrel against the base of his skull and gave him a quick, hard jab.

"Are you a zombie?" I whispered. Every sound was too loud in the desolate wasteland. Every gust of wind, every footstep, every breath echoed in my head as we stood there, waiting for him to answer. He didn't move, didn't speak. He didn't growl at me, quake with fear, or even try to pull away from the end of my gun. I couldn't see his face, but he didn't appear to be a zombie.

Yet.

So I jabbed him again. "Are you a zombie?" I asked, a little louder this time. "Have you been bitten?"

Still he remained silent and unmoving. Just when I was thinking I should blow his brains out anyway and see if he had anything useful, the man shifted his weight to his other foot and tilted his head to look up at the sky.

"She was right." He murmured. "It's all gone. My house, my family... everything." He whispered. "It's all gone."

I growled and jabbed him again. "Are you infected?" I hissed. "I'm not gonna ask you again!"

The man sighed and lowered his chin to his chest. "What happens if I say yes?" He asked, finally acknowledging me. "Are you going to shoot me?"

I almost snapped back yes. That desire was interrupted by the one that told me to shoot him, since he was clearly a zombie. Then logic stepped in and reared its ugly face. Why would he bother to ask me? Shouldn't he be begging for his life, trying to reason with me? Or telling me yes, he was infected, and could I please put him out of his misery before he turned and ate me? The gun shook in my hand. I'd never fired the thing, never fired a gun at all. I was certain I could, if I had to though. I knew... believed I would.

But not at this guy. He wasn't a zombie. I was sure of that.

"Tch." I lowered my gun a fraction of an inch. "I would have. But you're not infected."

"How can you be sure?" He asked, still staring down at the burning city. "You could shoot me, just to be safe. You don't need another survivor to compete with for food and shelter."

I rolled my eyes and stepped back in disgust. "If you've got a death wish, look somewhere else... Actually-" I needed food. My stomach growled like one of those zombie freaks, reminding me how long it had been since I'd eaten. "Hand over your gun, and any food or supplies you have. Now." The cold steel of my gun pressed into his neck again, digging in, trying to push the point into his skull.

But the man just responded with a hollow laugh. "You're pretty young to be a killer." It looked like he flinched at his own words, and he suddenly jammed his free hand into his pocket as he hunched his shoulders.

The silence around us was almost palpable, and I shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot to try and ease some of my tension. "Well? Are you gonna give it up, or what?"

"Or what." Before I could react, he'd ducked to one side, and pulled his free hand from his pocket to shove my gun in the opposite direction. I let out a surprised yelp and instinctively loosened my grip on it as he tugged on the barrel and pulled it out of my hands. In a flash he had my own weapon turned back around on me.

I backpedaled wildly, looking up at him with pure terror. "D-don't... I-I'm sorry d-dude... I'm sorry... please..."

The guy just gave me this weird little smirk, like he didn't actually know how to smile. "I wouldn't waste a bullet on another survivor." He lowered the gun and flipped it around, holding the butt out towards me.

I just stared at him for a second, confused. Hesitating for another, brief, second, I accepted the shotgun and let it hang by my side. "Um... Thanks dude."

The guy's lips twitched like he was trying to smile again. "Yeah. Come on." He slung his double-barrel over his shoulder and walked past me, heading back down the highway, out of town. "I have food in my truck."

I looked at the back of the guy's head like he was crazy. I'd just threatened to shoot him, and he was inviting me back to his truck for some lunch? Maybe he was a pervert... a freak who hadn't gotten his jollies in too long. Well...

I'd eat his food. And if he tried anything, then I'd kill him.

I ran to catch up with him, armor clanking and both hands wrapped tight around my only protection.


	2. What now?

**Whoo! Finally: Chapter two! Thanks for the reviews guys.**

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><p>It was just a can of raviolis, and they had that fake beef in them that made me cringe and think of preservatives... and Patient Zero. But I was starving, and shoved the meat-packed noodles into my mouth two at a time. Guttural, animalistic moans escaped me as I ate. It was soooo good, I couldn't stop myself. The can only made me hungrier, but my new-found best friend was already pulling another off the little kerosene cooker and handing it to me with a quiet "Eat up."<p>

I thanked him through the sauce, beef, and slightly undercooked noodles, and dug in. He watched me for a second, and in my hunger-crazed mind, I knew it should have bothered me, but it didn't. After about a minute of sitting there watching me ear, he stood with his gun in hand and climbed up onto the roof of the truck. Maybe to get away from the disgusting sight of me mauling his food, or to watch for zombies. I really didn't care at the moment, too focused on stuffing more of the unhealthy food into my mouth.

When that can too had been scraped clean, I sat nervously in the bed of the truck, looking up at the back of his curly mop of a head. "So... Um... Thanks." I finally said after a long moment.

The guy shrugged, and went back to watching for zombies.

I sat there for another minute, playing with the plastic spork. "Sorry I almost shot you."

"Sorry you didn't."

I jerked back, my paranoia made me grab for my gun. "What? Why's that?" Was that some sort of warning? I eased the barrel up towards him, ready to blow his brains out if he turned and tried to jump me.

But the guy just shrugged again. "I'd rather be shot than be eaten by a zombie."

Oh. I lowered my gun and scratched my head. "Well... alright then. So..." I was loathe to leave the safety (as far as I knew, at least) of the truck, but he didn't seem to really want any company, and I had to find a safe place to bunker down for the night. "So I guess... I'll be going." Silence. "Um... thanks again for the food." Still nothing. "Gotta... find a good place to sleep tonight before it gets dark. And you probably want to find somewhere too..." Still nothing. I let out an exasperated sigh. "Alright. Well... later dud-"

He was suddenly sliding off the roof of the truck. "Get in the truck." He called.

I was half-out of the bed, one foot on the rear tire. "Uh... what?"

"Zombies. Get in the truck. There won't be time for you to barricade yourself somewhere. Get in!" He was slamming his door shut when I saw the line of freaks on the horizon.

I dragged the tarp back over the bed and snapped it into place before sliding into the cab. He hit the gas and reversed down the abandoned highway as the first zombie started crawling up onto the hood.

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><p>I didn't have any supplies. A good base. Any fellow survivors. It still felt almost painful to leave the city with this stranger. We drove in absolute silence as darkness descended on the world, staring straight ahead and never speaking a word to one another. When the little digital clock on the dash read 1am, he reached behind our seats and pulled out a box of Nutter Butters, placing them between us. I nibbled on one for a long time, savoring the taste of the peanut butter. I hadn't realized exactly how much I had missed the greasy, nutty flavor, and was sad when my first cookie was gone. Thankfully there were more, and I pulled another from the box, still just nibbling on it. Around 3am, I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore, and I slumped against the window, asleep before my head hit the glass.<p>

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><p>When I woke up a few hours later, my new friend was nowhere to be seen. I started to freak out a little, and twisted around in my seat, clutching my shotgun against my chest. His door was open and his double-barrel lay across the seat. Swallowing nervously, I got on my knees and crawled towards the open door. "Uh... dude? Where are you?" I called. My response was a sound at the back of the truck, drawing a startled scream from me.<p>

The stranger was at the door in a flash, still zipping up his pants. His dark-ringed eyes were wheeling frantically in his head as he searched for threats. "What? What is it, what happened?" He demanded.

I was still struggling to gain my breathing again- his appearance had pulled another terrified screech out of my mouth. "S-sorry... I... you weren't here... door open... heard a noise..." I lowered my gaze, ashamed of my childish fear as the guy rolled his eyes and climbed back into the cab.

"I had to pee. Guess I should have told you or something, sorry."

I shrugged. "Sorry I freaked."

He pulled out two boxes of those single-serving breakfast cereals that kids flip over. That I used to flip over. I didn't much care for Apple Jacks, but right now they were like a gift from the gods. "Thanks."

We ate in silence for a while, and I examined the road we were on. It stretched for miles in either direction, with no cars or zombies in sight. The silence between us, at least for me, was awkward. I didn't even know this guy's name, but we'd nearly been in a shoot-out, he'd fed me, and let me ride with him out of the zombie-infested city. We'd just met, and already I had freaked out when I thought he was being eaten. I finished off my cereal and tossed the carton out through the window like him. "So um..." I scratched my head. "What's your name?"

Before I even finished the question, he was shaking his head. "No names." He sighed heavily and looked down at his knees. "Attachments are dangerous now, and if we know each others names, we'll have one."

"Oh." The cab was quiet as he played with the lanyard dangling from the keys. So I was disposable to him. That's okay... he was disposable to me too. "Well... is there something I can call you at least, besides 'that guy' or 'dude'?"

The guy shrugged. "I guess you can call me Columbus."

It almost made me laugh. "Like the city?"

He nodded.

It was funny. I wondered why he'd picked that name. Maybe Columbus had been his hometown before the zombies. Or maybe it's because that's where we met up. I thought for a moment, wanting to follow his example. What were feminine-sounding city names? I thought about something from Hawaii, but couldn't remember much. I finally picked a name, and tossed my hair over my shoulder dramatically, sticking my nose in the air and striking a pose the best I could in the cab. "Beverly. Beverly Hills."

He laughed this time, and for the first time since we met, some life seemed to come into him. The corners of his mouth pulled up in a big goofy smile as he laughed, and his eyes lit up. I didn't get what was so funny about it, and sat back self-consciously in my seat while he finished laughing.

When he finally quieted down, he shook his head. "Sorry. Just... it's funny. Long story."

I shrugged. "Alright. So.. what do we do now? Do we... go our separate ways? Do we stick together for a while?"

He gestured through the windshield. "We're in the middle of nowhere. I didn't think you'd want to go our separate ways here."

I grimaced. "No, I don't. But I meant... thinking ahead..." I turned to look at him. "What do we do? Pretend we never met each other and go on with our lives?"

Columbus shrugged. "I don't know. What do you want to do?"

I thought on it for a few minutes, playing with a hole in my jeans. "Could I stick with you? At least for now? I don't have any supplies, or my own car, or anything. No family or friends that I know of that survived..."

He turned the key in the ignition. "Next stop, Beavercreek."

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><p><strong>D-ZombieDragon:<strong> Thanks. I figured I'd give him a little moment of shine for once. And don't worry, I will. Just very slowly probably.

**Willowfur:** Updates will probably be a little slow. I have lots of stuff to do, but they will come.

**shialuvr222:** Thanks. =D


	3. Bad Dream

**This is kind of a filler chapter. Not much goes on except some interaction. Things will pick up, I swear. But for now they haven't had human contact in a long time, and Columbus is determined not to make anymore connections after leaving the others. So their interaction is going to be very awkward.**

**Next chapter is some more plot-centric stuff though.**

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><p>I learned real quick that Columbus never had much to say. When he did speak, he always managed to make me feel depressed or awkward, and I always regretted trying to start a conversation. He was decent company though, because I learned real quick that I no longer had much to say either, and I was only trying to talk to him because he was there. After so long alone, neither of us really seemed to know how to talk to another living being. As time wore on, he grew even quieter, and the rings around his eyes grew darker. His already pale skin seemed to take on a yellowish tint, and he began to occasionally slump against the window, almost as if he was turning on auto pilot. The only time we stopped was to go to the bathroom or push toasted cars off the highway so we could drive through.<p>

After three days of watching him, I reached over and tapped his shoulder. I no longer clanked when I moved, because I'd taken off most of my home-made armor. "Dude, you look like shit."

He snorted and glanced sideways at me. "You don't look much better, you know."

Rolling my eyes, I ran a hand through my greasy hair to push it back out of my face. "You know what I meant. I don't think you've pulled over to sleep once. You're going to kill yours-" I bit my lip and looked ahead. Beside me, he'd gone into that awkward silence again and any amusement at our little back-and-forth faded. "Columbus, maybe we should pull over so you can sleep. I don't much like the prospect of waking up to find myself wrapped around a tree."

Columbus sighed and wearily rubbed his eyes. "I'm not pulling over. I don't much like the idea of getting pulled out of the window by a cannibal."

I huffed and blew my bangs out of my eyes. I was bored out of my mind, restless, and annoyed. "Okay, then... how about I drive?" I proposed.

Columbus had a pained look on his face, and once again I found myself wondering why he did that. It seemed so random, and it was kind of driving me crazy. He was quiet for a moment before he began to ease over to the shoulder of the highway. "Alright. Just try not to get us killed Beverly."

With a self-satisfied smile, I slid out of the cab and jogged around the front. He was still unbuckling his seat belt when I wrenched open his door. "C'mon c'mon slow poke. Go take your nap, I won't kill us."

Rolling his eyes, Columbus nudged me out of the way and made his way, oh, so, fucking, slowly around the front of the truck and hoped up into my vacated seat as I was adjusting the mirrors. I caught his doubtful expression and flashed him a winning smile. "Please tell me this isn't your first time."

"It's not."

He let out a relieved sigh and sank back into the seat, his eyes already drooping. "Good."

I grinned and punched the gas. He flailed around in his seat and made this ridiculous squawking sound. "It's my third."

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><p>He eventually calmed down when I agreed to slow down to about fifty. Then, his shaggy head bobbed a few times before thunking against the window. He was out cold and his quiet snoring filled the cab. It was a little hypnotic, and I found myself making up a song to go along with the rhythm. I continued on the path he had been, glancing occasionally at the map stretched out between us or munching on a Nutter Butter. I found I had a knack for driving, and smugly began to imagine my driver's ed class. It would've been great to show up all those snarky bitches that bragged about the shiny cars their daddies had bought them. It was fanciful wishing, because I doubted I was actually as good as I thought I was, but it was fun and helped pass the time.<p>

Until Columbus began to talk in his sleep. Then it got uncomfortable.

"...go home. Just go home. Don't... don't let him follow her..."

I grimaced. He began to snore again, and for that I was grateful. Listening to people sleep-talk always made me feel like I was invading their personal space.

"Don't get out of the car... stay... stay with them"

"Yo... Columbus."

He shifted and dragged his hoodie tighter around his body. "Don't leave them..."

"COLUMBUS!"

"WAIT-!" He jerked in his seat and bolted upright, flinging his arm out, startled out of his dream.

Shocked, I pulled my foot of the gas as his knuckles grazed the air just in front of my face and stomped on the brakes. We were both flung forward, but the seat belts snapped us back into place as we skid to a halt. "Columbus! Woah dude, calm down!"

His chest was heaving as he finally settled down into his seat again. He stared out the window for a long time, and I pressed myself against the door, feeling it might be best to get as far away from him as possible. The truck was silent except for our breathing. Then-

"Jesus fucking Christ Columbus, what the hell is wrong with you?"

He sighed heavily and slumped into his seat, his eyes drifting closed again. "Sorry. I was... it was just a bad dream. You scared me is all."

"Oh." Silence. "Sorry then."

"Just drive, please."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Fine."

Silence took over the cab again as I revved the engine and shot up the highway. Once again, he flailed in his seat and his face took on an unhealthy green tinge. "Do you have to drive like a maniac?"

"Why yes. Yes I do. Problem?" I gave him my best troll face, hoping to at least pull a chuckle from him.

Besides an aggravated sigh, he ignored me. Silence stretched on as we drove, and I found myself watching the clouds as I navigated the empty road.

"We need to pull over soon." He murmured. "We're running low on supplies. Food, water."

I could feel the color drain from my face. In Columbus, there were few zombies. There were few places for them to hide. After the army had burned the place to the ground, there was barely enough to scavenge for myself to eat, without having to fight off foxes and other scavenging creatures. It had been safe though, because I knew my way around. I knew all the hiding spots. If we pulled over though, I'd be in new territory. I felt fear rise in my chest at the thought of leaving the truck. "Oh."

Sensing my anxiety, he seemed to relax a bit. "We're going to be fine. Look, there's a grocery store up there. Back up to the storefront." He looked sideways at me and a small smile floated to his face. "We'll wait for the sun to come up. Then we'll go in." He reached over and slapped a hand against my shoulder. "I've got your back kid."

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><p><strong>shialuvr222:<strong> Thanks! And lol, thanks again. I figured I had to give him something small to be amused over since he's so depressed.

**Willowfur:** Thanks. And don't worry, he's not. He's just in shock. =)


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